The Complete Substitute for All Forms of Sociability

or HOLY CRAPCAKES, WE COULD'VE DIED! A slab of concrete that the local residents were using as a mock-bridge saved us from serious injury (and probably our lives) when it got caught by the wheel of my car. When it fell into the hole, it landed upright so that the car just ended up on top of it instead of nose-diving into the hole. It's a pretty big and deep hole. After the fact

I've heard about this story for sometime now. The Japanese title is Ooku , which refers to the chamber in the shogun's castle where all the women of the shogun's harem are kept. However, Yoshinaga Fumi's manga, on which this movie is adapted, adds a twist: the shogun is a woman and beautiful men fill her harem. THE STORY In the year 1716 Japan, most of the men have died from a deadly disease that only affects men, resulting in their population dwindling to as much as 1/4 of the total population of women. Consequently, women fill in the traditional roles of men, performing hard labor, managing businesses and running government while men are pampered, protected and allowed only to indulge in light entertainment. In this nonexistent Japan lives Mizuno Yunoshin (Kazunari Ninomiya), a teenager from an impoverished samurai class family. He likes fencing and his childhood friend, O-Nobu (Horikita Maki), but because of his family's financial status (O-Nobu is a daugh...

There was a time when I was really into wuxia . My interest bore fruit: one website dedicated to the anime adaptation of Jin Yong's popular novel, Shen Diao Xia Lu and a few piecemeal translations of other wuxia novels. One of these novels is Xiao Shiyi Lang , a two-part series of novels by Gu Long . In particular, I've been sporadically translating the second installment in the series, simply called Houpin Xiao Shiyi Lang. Below is the completed translation of Chapter 4 of the same book (Chapter 29 if you count the chapters in the first book): Chapter 29: To Follow Somebody Closely When a woman has no choice but to accept her own destiny, then she has to let destiny take its course. However, who knew that Hua Ruyu would suddenly sigh, and say, "No need to wait for later. At present, I am already regretting this." Feng Siniang could not help asking, "You regret what?" Hua Ruyu said, "I regret I'm not a man." Feng Siniang could only ...

That day, it seemed the only sound in the forest was the soft trickle of river water. Even the wind did not dare blow. The trees stood still. The young man standing knee-deep in the middle of the stream made a small movement. In his hand was a spear tipped with sharpened stone. A whole second passed. There was a splash. The young man swung. In the next instant, the spear reappeared in his hand. Stuck to its tip was a large, brown goby. The fish wriggled, struggling to escape, but after only a short time, it stopped moving. The young man removed it and casually placed it inside the wicker basket tied around his waist. Before closing, he inspected his catch. One, two, three goby. One big catfish and three or four smaller variety fishes. Enough for the day. He gazed up but the foliage was so thick, he could only see glimpses of the clear blue sky. It looked like the sky itself was in pieces. He gave a sigh and prepared to wade his way back to the banks. Someone was watching...

So I just found out today that I'll have about ten teaching loads this semester. That's a lot and it scares me a little bit. Am I up for that much work? Last semester, I only had three. I do take teaching seriously and I'm not about to turn in a half-assed job, but am I ready for this kind of commitment? I feel that I am but I am afraid...of putting in that much effort for something which can be quite frustrating. Teaching college students how to think for themselves and take initiative? Not easy, I've learned the hard away, and I could just as easily get frustrated and disillusioned by it all, if I let my emotions get in the way. As always and in every aspect of my life, the question I face is: How do I get involved without getting attached? Emphasis on the involved  bit because detaching myself from situations is what I do best. Detachment. While we're on the topic, let me say, with probable traces of ego, that I am the most detached person I know. There are onl...

Say it with me: KETCHUP! It's going to be June soon. God, time sure flies. And I've decided over the summer that I'm going to be a full-time teacher at the university I taught in last semester. Everything's been set and I've been given two loads (subjects) already but I've asked for only afternoon classes as I need my mornings free for court hearings. By June, I should have more subjects assigned to me. I'll need to start preparing my lesson plans again. The great thing about law subjects is that there is really only one effective approach: Socratic. My only problem now is how to arrange the various topics into one logical, coherent structure that's simple enough to grasp easily but complex enough to encompass the nuances of the law. Not an easy task. That said, in these last few weeks of freedom (lolwut), I'm playing catch up with all my unnecessary shit. Pardon the French. I call all my non-work related stuff by the collective term of shit. L...

I have a confession to make: I haven't had a hard life. I don't mean, I haven't gone through any difficulties whatsoever. I just mean that, whatever difficulties that came my way, they must all pale in comparison to what others go through everyday in this country. What I mean is.... Think about it this way. I remember my first day of my first year in law school, my law professor called me for oral recitation and I, who didn't really expect to be called that day and didn't really care either way, gave a brief, over-generalized answer, and she said to the entire class (I'll never forget): "And they say you can't sail your way through law school." She was being witty and sarcastic at the time but, in retrospect, I realized she was right in more ways than one. No, I did not sail my way through law school. I went freaking white-water rafting through it. Regardless, that pretty much describes my entire life: I sail through it. And because I haven't...